Wiveton Parish Council

 

ChairmanÕs Report for 2003

 

á      You do not need me to tell you that Wiveton is special, but it has just become a bit more special, being one of just 17 parishes in Norfolk to have an elected Parish Council. Consequent to that I would like to welcome the successful candidates,  particularly our new councillors Mary Wakelin and Gary Mears. Being an elected Parish Council means that we are now eligible to become a Quality Parish Council as set in the GovernmentÕs Rural White Paper.                                                                                                                                                                                              I must also record a vote of thanks on behalf of the Council to Richard Allen who was not elected but has served on this Council for many years, some of those as Chairman and likewise John High who decided not to stand for re-election.

 

á      The Parish Council has held 10 meetings during the past year.  The meetings are now held on the third Tuesday of the month due to a clash with the History Society, which meets on the last Tuesday. Although having said that we still seem to clash a lot.

 

á      During the year the Council was very pleased to be able to co-opt Peter Adcock onto the Council

 

á      5  Planning applications have been considered during the past year

 

á      The increase in allotment rents has generated over £300 for the year. A new field gate for the allotment has been purchased. Unfortunately this has not yet been fitted as someone has stolen the gatepost!  Which being solid oak had some value.

 

á      Other Meetings                                                                                   I have represented the council at numerous meetings during the year.  Including several meetings as part of the so-called consultation process for Blakeney Freshes.  Of the 5 options offered we were told that only one, Option 5 met D.E.F.R.A.Õs very strict criteria.  If we had been told that at the beginning of the process we might all have saved much time and paper. A great deal of what is called consultation today is cosmetic and benefits only those that are doing the consulting.                                                                                                                     There have also been a number of meetings with regard to a Blakeney – Wiveton - Cley Hill Footpath  - Negotiations for the provision of which have been taking place for sometime now. The first path offered [despite NCC knowing quite well what the village were asking for] was a pavement and environmentally unacceptable to  NNDCÕs conservation dept, the landowners and to this council. Consequently we were informed that the scheme had been shelved.  Not to be deterred we drew up a scheme that we would execute ourselves. Since then we have been informed that NCC have a new scheme.  We await the plans for that before deciding with the landowners, which way we will go.                                                      

á      Telecommunication Masts are beginning to look more likely in the Parish, two within a couple of hundred yards of each other close to Blakeney Church. Our District Councillor has been active on this front supporting our view that mast sharing and the use of existing structures is the best way forward in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  I will read our letter responding to a pre-planning application letter from O2. and no doubt Bernard will up-date us to progress later.  An application from Orange for a mast has [as you may have noticed] been successful at Chicken Planting across the valley.  This mast is not actually visible from Cley but is very visible from Wiveton.  Requests made to NNDC that in processing these applications they ought to give everyone who is affected by them an opportunity to respond have not been heeded. 

 

á      Traffic Calming.

 

A speed survey has been conducted by the Norfolk County Council

 

In responding to the speed limit petition – 70 letters were sent out to all residents of Wiveton and a questionnaire had been included for comment.  We had a very good response to this with 24 questionnaires being returned.  From this a clear majority supported the councilÕs approach of finding alternative ways to calm traffic. Alternative to speed a limit that is.                                                                                                                             Your Council subsequently put together some designs to demonstrate how more imaginative and innovative thinking can  [using natural contours and existing features of the highway] produce measures that could attract and influence drive behavior more effectively than the ubiquitous 30 mph signs. These ideas were not meant to be used as models but as pointers toward a different approach.  These ideas  ÉÉ were sent to Norfolk County CouncilÕs Norfolk Coastal Traffic Forum along with copies of all the questionnaires returned to us. This letter accompanied them.                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

Wiveton Parish Council has continued to discuss the possibilities for traffic calming in the Wiveton, particularly for the Blakeney Road. These discussions have been based upon the replies we received [and which are included with this submission] to a request for parishioners to respond on traffic issues in more detail than was possible through the earlier petition.  It is felt that the petition was not helpful and gave a misleading impression of views in the village.                                                                

 

The main theme of the responses received was that while the majority acknowledged that there was a problem with traffic speed, particularly on Blakeney Road, they did not want to see the village urbanized by the large number of signs that would accompany a speed limit and backed the Parish Council in their efforts to achieve a less homogenous and hopefully more effective scheme.                                                                                                                  

The ideas we came up with are included here as pictures.  We are not asking for them to be implemented but that the Strategy Group consider them as a starting point, to get a feeling of what the village would like, and think would be effective.  The designs are based on the style and materials already being used by NCC in other parts of the AONB and ought not to be too expensive.                                                                                                                                                                                                      The reason we think our present ÔGatewaysÕ are not as effective as was originally hoped is because the village signs used are quite small. Larger signs, perhaps carrying a message [I believe 7 words is the allowed maximum] might be more effective. See picture.

 

It was also felt that messages to drivers coming into the village from Blakeney ought to be further out of the village, perhaps 100 -150 meters north of the brow of the hill.  A larger sign and the word SLOW painted on the road at this point would warn drivers that they were approaching a village.                                                                                  

Once over the brow of the hill the straight road running past the council houses appears to narrow markedly, this is partly an illusion caused by the hedges flanking it coming in closer to the road but it seems to be the perfect spot to reduce traffic speed. A ÔGatewayÕ type structure, similar to those employed further along the coast, placed here would dramatically emphasise the narrowness of the road at this point and would cause drivers slow down.                                         

 

How close to the carriageway these could be placed and how big they would need to be is obviously determined by traffic regulations but their shape might also contribute to their effectiveness.                                                                                                                                                                                     

The Parish Council was unanimous in their support for this type of approach as were the interested members of the public and our County and District Councillors present at the meeting.  Therefore we hope that the North Norfolk Transport Strategy Group will look positively on these proposals. Members of the council are willing to come to County Hall to discuss them at anytime.

 

 

á      Wiveton Stone Bridge  - the 18 tonne weight restriction order has been approved during the year. The new signage agreed and this has now been erected, although the signs showing an articulated lorry balancing on the top have not yet been removed.

 

á      The QueenÕs Golden Jubilee Party. What a great day.  A wonderfully unselfconscious example of community spirit, at our first Golden Jubilee committee meeting 18 people turned up. From such a small village that is a fair testament to our community. Every child in the village received a commemorative mug courtesy of Janet Harcourt. We even made the covers of local and national papers.  Photos taken on the day will be put into an album and placed in the bank with the parish records for posterity.

 

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á      Esker Group  - during the past year the members of the BEG decided to terminate their relationship with the N C C and to abandon the Blakeney Esker Project.  The county has carried out some immediate works but will consult about the longer term future with the village possibly through a meeting here in the Parish Room at a future date.

 

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á      Surveyors Allotments The Scheme of Regulation for the Surveyors Allotments has reached its final stage; notices have been displayed for the last 3 weeks in the Church and on the Parish Room Notice Board.  If no one has made an objection they will once more become parish property.

 

 

 

 

á      Travelers on the Green as many of you will recall last summer a travelling family camped on the village green. I expect they will be back again shortly.  They stayed for the maximum period [28 days] allowed and then moved on to another village.  They left the Green as clean and tidy as they found it and have done this at every other location where they have stayed in the area. They appear to be genuine Gypsies and I felt were welcome here, however this was a clear reminder that the Green is vulnerable  to this type of situation and another time it may not be well behaved gypsies but travelers of the car dismantling kind that might not be willing to move on and would not clear up after if they did.

 

I have therefore been investigated the possibility of preventing this happening by the rewording of the deeds to the green. However, it appears that this will not be as straightforward as we hoped, this of course will not deter us from pursuing it.  A deed similar to that which applies to the Red House Land in Blakeney might protect us , or at least ensure that we could rely on the police to move them on.

 

á      That about wraps it up except for my thanking the council and clerk for their unfailing support through what at times has been a quite difficult year.